Overview

• A government spokesperson confirmed judges already have the power to restrict parental involvement but said the formal review will set out clearer guidance on the presumption of contact.
• Campaigner Claire Throssell is seeking a meeting with Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to press for statutory reforms that prioritize child safety over parental access.
• Women’s Aid’s June report, Nineteen More Child Homicides, found that since 2014 another 19 children in England and Wales were killed by parents granted court-ordered visits despite histories of domestic abuse.
• The charity’s data also shows that at least 67 children have died over the past 30 years at the hands of perpetrators of domestic violence who retained legal contact rights.
• Critics argue the family justice system’s default pro-contact culture continues to elevate adult rights above safeguarding, creating fatal gaps in statutory protection.